On Saturday, October 9, Boy Scouts of America will host an inaugural Soap Box Derby event in Longmont where Boy Scouts and other youth will have the opportunity to race in cars they build themselves.
People between ages 7 and 17 are encouraged to build simple cars and participate in this event that inspires engineering, creativity and overall fun.
The cost to build a gravity-powered car can be as little as $30 and how people decide to build their vehicle is pretty open, according to a press release about this event. Teams are limited to three drivers per car. There is an additional fee for teams of racers to participate in the event.
Competing in races of two teams at a time, the young innovators will take off from specially built ramps and speed down E. Mountain View Avenue between Skyline High School and Timberline PK-8.
Awards for fastest team, fastest car and driver, and best designed car will be given to both teams under 11 years of age and teams between ages 11 and 17.
Racing will commence around 11 a.m. and run until 3 or 4 p.m. depending on the number of teams and drivers that register. Organizers expect between 20 and 30 teams of drivers for the downhill racing portion of the event.
To register and to learn more about the basic plans and safety requirements for race cars and drivers, visit the event’s website.
In addition to youth racers, the public is invited to come watch the racing and learn more about the event for future years. Additional car-themed activities will be available to participants and visitors throughout the event. Children under the age of seven and their parents are encouraged to build a car and compete with friends on a nearby flat track course. The courses help test young racers’ coordination and handling skills. The cars require another youth to “power them” by pushing the driver or car, according to the press release.
If the Soap Box Derby on Saturday is successful, organizers can see it returning and building upon this year’s event to possibly add adult racing into the mix in the future.
Event organizer Scott Conlin expects Scouts and other youth to see what works when building a car meant to go fast. This event will inspire improved ideas for the following year, he said.
“We really want to encourage access to a race like this,” said Conlin, an assistant Scoutmaster for Longmont’s Troop 64. “As adults, we are providing a safe way for kids to race and (letting) them learn to build the best cars they can.”
Conlin expects Scouts and other youth will see what works for a fast car will be encouraged to improve ideas for the following year.
